JP6054399B2 - Closing valve unit for cyclones - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating and cleaning gaseous and liquid substances using a cyclone, in particular for treating liquid suspensions used for producing paper and board.

  Centrifugal cleaning devices or hydrocyclones are mainly used to purify coarse and / or fine impurities and dirt particles from suspensions in the pulp and paper industry. When referring to an individual cycle, it will be abbreviated as cyclone in the following.

  Conventional paper mills or pulp mills require large amounts of cyclones due to the large scale of forced flow of the fiber suspension. Centrifugal cleaning devices can have hundreds of cycles, which combine to form a centrifugal cleaner group. Cyclone groups can be connected serially in series, or can operate connected in parallel. Individual cyclones can become clogged and otherwise need to be cleaned periodically or otherwise maintained. In such cases, the cyclone needs to be separated from the group or disassembled.

  Centrifugal cleaning plant cyclones are particularly prone to clogging at the reject end, and individual cyclones need to be removable, decomposable, or replaceable. Also, cyclones can wear during operation and need to be replaced regularly. In prior art centrifugal cleaner groups, the separation and connection of cyclones for convenience has been solved in a variety of different ways. U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,787 discloses a centrifugal cleaner group feed channel and an accept channel using push-in coupling that can be separated and connected very easily. channel) and a cyclone are disclosed. Furthermore, these cyclones can be exchanged with each other. However, when the cyclone is separated, the inlet channel, outlet channel and waste channel remain open. Thus, the entire group of cyclones can be deactivated and the contents of the device can leak further. In addition, substances contained within the Cyclone Group may be pressurized and hot, and may otherwise be harmful and may be extremely dangerous for humans performing maintenance work. is there.

  During the process, it is not always possible to isolate individual cyclones and shut down the entire group without interfering with other manufacturing stages before or after it, or without significantly reducing manufacturing capacity. At the start, cyclone operation is normal only after the cyclone reaches its maximum speed, so there is a major quality problem when stopping the entire group and restarting all cyclones.

  In U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,628, a closing valve can be installed between the cyclone and the centrifugal cleaner group, so that maintenance for the individual cyclone normally does not substantially interfere with the process. An operation can be performed.

  However, these individual closing valves require space, which is difficult to obtain well around a densely packed cyclone. Furthermore, in order to be able to access the closing valve and ensure that the closing valve is operated, space is required for operating the closing valve, and for the closing valve actuator. Space is also required. In particular, when a horizontally placed double cyclone is used, lack of space often prevents the valve from closing, especially at the inlet and outlet channels. The use of a closing valve within a group of centrifugal cleaners to close a cyclone is less common due to the cost of the valve required and the cost of its installation.

  Closing the waste channel can be more easily accomplished because the waste end is usually narrower and can provide considerably more space. Often, the pressurized reject system is further provided with a regulating valve that is used to regulate the disposal rate, which in many cases can also be used as a closing valve. In a free reject system, the waste conduit is not pressurized and, therefore, depending on its construction, the waste conduit can be left open without causing any significant leakage and without interfering with the process. It may be possible.

  Typically, closing valves are used for the specific purpose of not mixing the various fractions produced by the process. Usually it is advantageous to close the feed flow and the accept flow at the same time. The inlet connection with the highest pressure must be closed at least first, and the outlet connection is closed immediately thereafter to avoid generating overpressure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,628, separate valves arranged in different directions have a greater risk of operating in the wrong order or causing other types of malfunctions, leaving some of the closing valves inadvertently opened. Can be left unattended, which can interfere with the process. Even after replacing or re-installing a cyclone, it is easy for the individual separating closures to remain closed, which can cause the cyclone to fail or not function properly. If the number of cyclones is large, the possibility of human error increases.

  The operator of the centrifugal cleaning device may, for example, wish to modify the device to allow the cyclone to be more easily removed or otherwise maintained without causing the above problems. There is. In such a case, it would be less advantageous to implement a modification to install a separate closing valve at each connection between the channels of the centrifugal cleaner group and their cyclones, which is labor and costly. It can not be said. Even the size of the closing valve or the geometry of the cyclone can be hindered from making modifications due to space limitations.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,787 U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,628

  The object of the present invention is to provide the widest and most versatile solution to these problems. This object is achieved by realizing the centrifugal washing device mentioned in the preamble of the independent claim according to the characterizing part of that claim. Preferred embodiments of the invention can correspond to the appended dependent claims.

  The purpose of the closing valve unit according to the present invention is to separate the cyclone and their parts by combining the closing valve between the feed channel and the receiving channel of the cyclone and the centrifugal cleaner group into a single unit. Solutions to assist in replacement and maintenance are provided. Here, the manufacture of the centrifugal cleaner group is not greatly hindered, and the space requirements of the centrifugal cleaner group are not significantly increased.

  In order to avoid misuse of the closing valve and to save space, it is preferable to combine the actuators. At least, the actuator should be configured so that misuse can be easily controlled visually. Actuators that are located close to each other help to avoid failure when the exchange operation is interrupted, and the close operation makes the closing operation continuously with natural behavior be able to. In particular, misuse is avoided when both the feed channel and the accept channel, and possibly the discard channel, are opened and closed substantially simultaneously in a single closing motion.

  If the closing valve unit has a uniform connecting element of a size corresponding to the size of the cyclone and centrifugal cleaner group channels, the unit is conveniently installed later between the cyclone and the centrifugal cleaner group. obtain. Furthermore, in the event of failure, it can be easily replaced with a new unit. In that case, the cyclone is fitted in place without using a closing valve unit, so there is no need for an undamaged closing valve to be replaced and therefore closing can take place There is no sex.

  The mutually compatible flow channels and the closing valve unit connection members improve the maintainability of the unit and also the flexibility to install it in another way. Symmetrical and well-sealed channels can be changed to pressurized feed channels if the seal wears, or a larger space can be used as needed for opening It can be configured more flexibly to match the side. Used for pipes, such as welding, brazing, threaded coupling, flange connection, or various sealing push-in connections, more preferably using fixed and sealing members Any known connection technique can function as the connection member of the closing valve unit.

  Modified ball-type, flap-type and slide-type valves are most suitable when the purpose is to open and close the valve only and not to control the flow rate. These can be connected to work together and their status is easily shown.

  A particular advantage of slide-type closing valves is that the longitudinal size of their flow channels in the major direction does not have to be substantially increased even when the diameter increases. Furthermore, it becomes easier to implement a second flow channel or more in the same slide and in the valve housing. Even if the closing valve wears or otherwise seals are lost, the possible small internal leakage is not a problem if the outside of the closing valve unit is sealed. This gives a degree of freedom in the design of the sealing and its position in the structure. Using a rotatable slide that closes all two or more flow channels simultaneously can save a lot of space, provide a simple, safe and economical solution.

  If very large flow channel diameters are used, a problem arises in the case of ball valves whose space requirements in the longitudinal direction of the flow channel increase at the same rate as the diameter size. For example, with a diameter of about 80 mm, which is common in cyclones, the structure of the closing unit becomes very long as it is. However, ball valves have the advantage that with standard valves, an on or off indication is usually clearly seen from the position or indication of an actuator such as a handle. Especially when the valves are actuated separately, these indicators must be arranged to be seen from the same viewing direction, most preferably this is the direction in which the closing valve actuator operates. Of course, corresponding indicators can be used in conjunction with other types of valves.

  The flap valve can also be used because it has the advantage of a short structure, but especially in the case of fiber suspensions, the fiber may adhere to the protruding part of the flap, which may reduce the reliability of this structure There is. The flap valve is also configured so that the closing motion is effected by the movement of the separable conduit and so that the conduit itself functions as an actuator when the conduit is installed at the rear. This is the best solution in terms of maintaining the normal state of the valve.

  Since the structure of the closing valve unit is short, it can be avoided that the connecting member of the cyclone is greatly changed even when the closing valve unit is installed in the centrifugal cleaner group as an improved part. Even if the position of the cyclone feed end is changed slightly due to the change, there will be no leakage and the sealing of the waste end or another connection will cause another problem. It does not cause any problems, nor does it cause problems with securing and operating the cyclone.

  Since the waste end always moves in the same direction in the cyclone axis, if the center axis of the cyclone conduit is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone, the length of the structure can be increased by adding a closing valve unit. May increase. Large changes may also be made to fix the cyclone. If the central axis of the feed and receiving conduits is oriented transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone, the need for modification is reduced or avoided.

  The closing valve unit can be provided with a separate closing valve configured to accommodate a compact unit by separating fixing members, support members and connecting members. Accordingly, the closing valve unit can be composed of, for example, at least two or more separate valves attached to each other, such as a ball valve with a connecting member and an operating member. Thereby, additional closing valves are optionally added to the same closing valve unit, for example in closing third closing valves, such as cyclone waste conduits and centrifugal cleaner group waste channels. Becomes easier.

  Advantageously, the connecting member between the closing valve unit and the cyclone feed conduit and the connecting member between the closing valve unit and the cyclone receiving conduit are parallel in the direction of their central axes. . Thus, separating and connecting the cyclone feed ends can be performed in a single motion.

  Typically, closing and opening the waste stream can be performed without substantially simultaneously closing and opening the feed and receiving conduits. In order to avoid the occurrence of errors, the closing valve unit can also be provided with a closing valve for closing the waste connection.

  In some centrifugal cleaner groups, the flushing flow supplied in the cyclone is further used, or another flow, usually supplied in the waste end, is further used to improve equipment characteristics. The The closing valve unit can also be equipped with a closing valve for closing the channels for these special flows. Depending on the process conditions, there may be reasons why this flow must be opened and closed in stages rather than substantially simultaneously. However, a flushing flow or another flow is not always suitable for opening and closing simultaneously, in which case separate actuators can be used for these valves. The excessive force required during the opening and closing motions can also be a reason for the individual separation of the actuators.

  The advantages of the present invention are best seen when the number of cyclones in the centrifugal cleaning system is maximal. Some of the main benefits are seen when the cyclone is individual but it cannot be avoided that the cleaning process of the device is stopped when closing the closing valve unit.

  The present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure which shows the example of the main prior art of the centrifugal washing plant connected to the upstream and downstream process apparatus. This configuration comprises a centrifugal cleaner group consisting of closely placed twin cyclones. The above manufacturing plant represents a paper machine headbox approach system. FIG. 3 shows an example of a connection between a centrifugal cleaner group formed by four individual cyclones and an individual cyclone. FIG. 3 shows an example of a connection between a centrifugal cleaner group formed by four individual cyclones and an individual cyclone. FIG. 6 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention implemented using a rotatable slide. 3b is a cross-sectional view of the side view of FIG. 3a showing the position of the closing valve unit at the extreme position of the slide. FIG. 6 is a main projection showing some embodiments of a slide valve type configuration implemented using a common actuator.

  The centrifugal cleaner plant of FIG. 1 comprises a plurality of twin cyclones packed as densely as possible into a plurality of groups 1, where the cyclones 2 have an inlet channel or feed channel 3 and an outlet channel or receiving channel 4. To the discard channel 5. Furthermore, this figure shows an example of a manufacturing apparatus upstream and downstream of the cleaning stage. Typically, the previous and subsequent processes are continuous, and one good example is a paper machine approach system, which is more densely arranged than that shown in this example diagram. A considerably larger number of cyclones 2 can be provided.

  Figures 2a and 2b show the connection between the centrifugal cleaner group and the cyclone in more detail. Four cyclone groups are shown from two directions, with a closing valve unit connected to one of the cyclones. The central axis of the feed conduit 6 and the receiving conduit 7 of the cyclone 2 is oriented transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone. In FIG. 2 b, the receiving conduit 7 is located in the same direction behind the feed conduit 6.

  The suspension to be washed is fed to the cyclone 2 via the feed channel 3 and the feed conduit 6. Centrifugal force causes the lightest fraction, the accept, to exit from the center of the vortex through the receiving conduit 7 to the receiving channel 4 where the receiving channel 4 discharges the normally washed suspension. . The heaviest component, usually waste containing impurities, is discharged through the waste conduit 8 into the exhaust channel 5. From a manufacturing process and end product point of view, of course, the suspension obtained from the centrifugal cleaner group waste channel 5 is later used as a process feedstock, and the suspension discharged from the receiving channel 4 is used as a waste fraction. Alternatively, it can be processed as a by-product.

  Usually, the cyclones 2 of the centrifugal cleaner group 1 are connected in parallel to each other, i.e. the same suspension is fed to all the cyclones 2 and the incoming and waste streams are connected to the associated channels. Therefore, even if the channel between the centrifugal cleaner group 1 and the cyclone is closed, the other cyclone 2 normally operates continuously, so it is not necessary to remove one cyclone 2, thereby greatly disturbing the process. It is never done. If the cyclone operates continuously, i.e., if the cyclone is connected in series, then the incoming or exhaust flow will be induced as a feed flow to the continuous cyclone, so in parallel with the cyclones connected in series Unless another cyclone is operated, the advantage of not stopping the production as in the case of connecting in parallel is not obtained.

  The cyclone 2 on the left side of FIG. 2b is installed in a group 1 of centrifugal cleaners without using a closing valve. A closing valve unit 9 according to the invention and a valve 10 which influences the flow of waste are installed between the right cyclone 2 and the channels 3-5 of the group 1.

  Both the receiving conduit 7 and the waste conduit 8 need not be pressurized and may be negative. If a non-pressurized waste conduit 8 is used, it will be a free reject. Waste flow from the cyclone 2 into the waste channel 5 can be regulated by a valve 10 for controlling the operation of the cyclone.

  FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show the most advantageous embodiment of the invention with a rotating slide 13. The top view of FIG. 3a shows a cyclone 2 connected into a group 1 of centrifugal cleaners without using a closing valve unit. In the bottom view 3b, a closing valve unit 9 with a rotating slide 13 is connected between the cyclone 2 and the channels 4 and 5 of the centrifugal cleaner unit.

The closing valve unit is based on three basic elements:
(1) Inner end 12 connected to feed channel 3 and receiving channel 4 of centrifugal cleaner group 1 using connecting member 15;
(2) the outer end 11 connected to the feed conduit 6 and the receiving conduit 7 of the cyclone 2 using the connecting member 14;
(3) A rotatable slide 13 that can close the feed channel 3 and the receiving channel 4. The rotatable slide 13 can be sealed by a seal placed between the slide 13 and the end pieces 11 and 12.
These basic elements can be combined to form the closing valve unit 9, for example, by fastening them with bolts at the flanges of the end parts 11 and 12.

  If the channels and connecting members are parallel and of equal size and shape, the solution according to FIGS. 3a and 3b makes no difference as to which channel the feed flow and the incoming flow use. This unit can therefore be installed in two positions, i.e. it may be rotated 180 degrees.

  For example, it is possible to rotate the slide 13 using a fixed lever or a separable lever arranged in the bore 18 so as to be parallel to the radius of the slide, such as the lever 19 of FIG. Also works. The slide 13 can also be provided with another type of protrusion, such as a fixed lever or square or hexagonal profile for connection to a separate actuator. If two or more places are closed non-simultaneously using the same closing valve unit 9, a large number of slides 13 may be placed on top of each other, and these slides 13 can be provided with suitable slots, Also, a seal can be provided for the slide 13 and end pieces 11 and 12.

  The slide 13 should be accurately aligned in the open position, as shown on the left side of FIG. 3b, so that the flow in the groove of the closing valve is prevented from being disturbed and the particles accumulate. Is prevented. Preferably, the closed position as on the right side of FIG. This can be achieved, for example, by a groove 16 in the slide 13 and a stopper 17 that fits between the end pieces 11 and 12, thereby restricting the movement of the slide 13.

  An advantageous solution for sealing the connection is to use the widely used sealed push-in connection members 14 and 15, consistent with those known from US Pat. No. 4,572,787. This can be accomplished simply by further using an O-ring placed in the conduit groove. The connecting members 14 and 15 may simply be seals or may have a locking function. Other known methods for connecting pipes such as threaded connections or flange connections can also be used. Typically, the channels and conduits comprising the connecting member have rotational symmetry for manufacturing reasons or sealing functions, and thus have a central axis X for the connecting member 14 and a rotational axis Y for the connecting member 15. .

  Normally, closing multiple channels simultaneously is the easiest and safest solution. When the closing valve actuators of the closing valve unit 9 are connected to each other, it is possible to operate the closing valve unit at the open / close interval of the step mode. In this case, the position of the opening of the closing valve and / or their shape or the method for connecting the actuators is determined so that the closing is carried out step by step for each channel.

  In the solution according to FIG. 3b, having the function of closing the waste flow simultaneously means that the closing valve unit 9 has three flow channels. These are preferably closed by a common slide 13 having three matching openings.

  The most important thing in the operation of the present invention is that the closing valve unit 9 is connected at least between the feed channel 3 and receiving channel 4 of the centrifugal cleaner group 1 and the cyclone 2 connected to them. And that the cyclone 2 is connected to the unit 9 at its feed conduit 6 and receiving conduit 7 by means of a separable connecting member 14. This separation is not essential if the cyclone 2 can be removed in another way to perform maintenance or to replace parts.

  The closing valve unit 9 can comprise separate closing valve components that are tightly secured to each other, for example, two ball valves that are tightly secured together. Preferably, the connecting member 14 between the closing valve component and the feed conduit 6 and receiving conduit 6 of the cyclone 2 allows the cyclone to be connected in place, for example by means of a sealed push-in connection. Positioned.

  FIG. 4 shows various alternative solutions based on a slide valve structure for mounting the closing valve unit 9 using a combined actuator. The valve unit actuator 20 operates using a solid lever or a separate lever 19 connected to the bore 18. In the lower figure, the shape of the slide 13 preferably serves as a stop for extreme positions without using separate components. It is clear that these configurations can be implemented to accommodate it in conjunction with two or more opening or closing operations that occur simultaneously, or to accommodate it using separate actuators.

  The connecting member 15 between the closing valve unit 9 and the centrifugal cleaner group 1 channel and the connecting member 14 between the closing valve unit and the cyclone 2 do not have to be similar to each other, and are based on the flow direction. They don't have to be on the same side and don't need to face in the same direction. A joining method that forms a permanent joint, such as sizing, brazing, or welding, may be used as the joining member. Usually, however, the closing valve unit 9 and the centrifugal cleaner group 1 are connected to each other. Only in the joint between. Since the cyclone 2 should be serviceable to obtain as many advantages as possible, either the conduit or the cyclone can be removed from the closing valve unit 9 to perform maintenance or replace parts Or the cyclone is separable. The connecting member 14 of the separable joint is most preferably arranged directly joined to the closing valve unit, but the closing valve unit 9 and the cyclone 2 are not directly connected to each other but between them. Even when connected by channels such as pipes, the compactness and many preferred embodiments of the present invention can provide limited advantages.

  Preferably, the closing valves of both the feed channel and the receiving channel of the closing valve unit 9 are connected to each other so that both are opened and closed by a single closing motion or opening motion. In the case of a slide valve, when the closing valve is connected to each other and the slide 13 is moved so that the flow channel and end pieces 11 and 12 of the slide 13 are normally in the same position and thus fully open, They can be closed at the same time as in FIG. When closed in stages, the holes made in the slide extend in the direction of motion and do not have the shape of the flow channels at the ends 11 and 12, so that both channels can be fully opened at the same time. Opening and closing is performed at different positions. Moreover, when closing in steps, the order of opening is reversed.

  If other types of closing valves are used, for example, the shafts of those actuators or shafts of other actuators can be combined to allow simultaneous or stepwise closing operations. If closed in stages, it can be properly staged in the desired order by using members that combine the actuators or by positioning the shafts of the ball valves relative to each other, for example.

  In a preferred embodiment further comprising the solution according to FIGS. 3a, 3b and 4, the central axis X of the feed conduit 6 of the cyclone 2 and the central axis X of the receiving conduit 7 of the cyclone 2 and the central axis X of their connecting members 14 are They are parallel to each other. Thereby, the removal and connection of the feed end of the cyclone 2 can be performed by one linear motion.

  In terms of improvement, removal, interchangeability and maintainability of the closing valve unit 9, both between the closing valve unit 9 and the feed channel 3 and between the closing valve unit 9 and the receiving channel 4. It is particularly advantageous if the connecting members 15 have the same dimensions and mutual distance as the connecting members 14 of the cyclone feed conduit 6 and the cyclone receiving conduit 7, as in FIG. 3a. Accordingly, the closing valve unit 9 is fitted in the same connecting member 15 of the feed channel 3 and receiving channel 4 of the centrifugal cleaner group 1, which is connected to the feed conduit 6 and the receiving conduit 7. By the way, the cyclone 2 can also be connected.

  The center of the connection member (15) both between the closing valve unit of the centrifugal cleaner group (1) and the feed channel and between the closing valve unit of the centrifugal cleaner group (1) and the receiving channel Axis Y substantially corresponds to the corresponding central axis X of the connecting member (14) between the cyclone closing valve unit and the feed conduit and between the closing valve unit of the cyclone (2) and the receiving conduit. When located on the same straight line, the cyclone fits better in the same location in the dense centrifugal cleaner group 1 than if it is not compatible in the improved situation. Therefore, the mutual position of the waste channel 5 and the waste conduit 8 is also usually changed to the smallest possible.

  If a waste stream, a flushing stream or some other special stream is additionally fed into the cyclone 2, the closing valve unit 9 can be equipped with a closing valve for closing this stream. Depending on the process conditions, there may be reasons why this flow must be opened and closed in stages rather than substantially simultaneously. As a result of this type of solution, a flushing connection or other connection is not always compatible with simultaneous opening and closing, and it can easily occur that separate actuators are used instead of being connected together. If the total number of channels to be closed is 4, it is often possible to use two similar closing valve units 9 suitable as separate units, for example as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b or 4. For example, a waste stream and another stream can be opened and closed simultaneously or in stages.

  The above description relates to embodiments of the invention in light of what is presently considered to be most suitable, but many different within the broadest possible scope defined only by the appended claims. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified in a manner.

Claims (6)

A closing valve unit (9) for a centrifugal cleaner device, between the feed channel (3) of the centrifugal cleaner group (1) and the feed conduit (6) of the cyclone (2) , and said centrifugal between the receiving conduit (7) of the receiving channel of the cleaner group (1) (4) and the cyclone (2), is configured to be connected via the respective connecting members (14, 15), the multiple closing valve for opening closing order or by the feed flow and receiving the flow once the closing motion or opening motion both between the said centrifugal cleaner group (1) cyclone (2) Yes, and the plurality of closing the valve is a plurality of slide valves, closing valve unit ( In),
Respective connecting members (14) provided for connecting the closing valve unit (9) to the feed conduit (6) of the cyclone (2) and the receiving conduit (7) of the cyclone (2). ) Are positioned parallel to each other and the closing valve unit (9) is connected to the feed channel (3) and the centrifugal cleaner group (1) of the centrifugal cleaner group (1). ) Of each of the connecting members (15) provided for connection to the receiving channel (4) is positioned substantially on the same straight line as the corresponding central axis (Y). Characteristic closing valve unit (9). The closing valves of the closing valve unit (9) for the feed flow and the receiving flow are connected to each other so that both flows have a single closing motion or opening motion characterized is that or that opened closed by, according to claim 1 closing valve unit (9). A slide (13) rotating within the closing valve unit (9), comprising a plurality of flow channels for at least a feed flow entering the cyclone (2) and an incoming flow exiting the cyclone (2) Closing valve unit (9) according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the slide (13) functions as a closing element. The dimension of the connecting member (15) connecting the closing valve unit (9) to the centrifugal cleaner group ( 1 ) is such that the closing valve unit (9) is connected to the feed conduit of the cyclone (2). Closing valve unit (9) according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that it matches the dimensions of the connecting member (14) connected to (6) and the receiving conduit (7). The closing valve unit (9) has a plurality of closing valve for closing the separate stream some of disposal flow or flushing flow or the cyclone (2), according to claim 1 or 2 Closing valve unit (9). Closing valve according to claim 1 or 5 , characterized in that a plurality of status indicators of a plurality of actuators operating non-simultaneously are arranged so that the open / closed state can be presented and perceived jointly. Unit (9).